In a six-month period after Calgary police revised its home alarm system protocol because officers were being called to too many false alarms, the service said calls decreased by 54 per cent compared to the same time frame in 2015.
The Calgary Police Service said the change in protocol included a revised Alarm Services Bylaw and the introduction of an annual fee for alarm system permits.
As of May 15, 2016, officers were no longer dispatched for alarm calls when only one alarm zone had been tripped. Alarm services are also required to contact two key holders before units are dispatched to an address.
“Effective Jan. 1, 2017, all residences and businesses will require a valid alarm permit in order for police to respond to alarm calls,” the CPS said in a Facebook post Thursday. “We will begin charging for permits, along with the implementation of an escalating false alarm fee structure.”
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Police said the information they’ll get through the permits will help with efficiency and accuracy. It will also “hold permit holders and alarm agencies more accountable to properly manage their alarm systems” according to police.
For more information or to get a permit, visit www.calgary.ca/alarmbylaw or call the Alarm Bylaw Unit at 403-428-8336.
Watch below from May 11: Starting soon, it will take more to get officers to your door if an alarm is tripped. As Tracy Nagai reports, the changes have caught some security companies off guard.
With files from Global’s Tracy Nagai